Poll Shows Majority Support Legalized 'Table' Gaming in W. Va.
The survey indicated that 64.9 percent of state residents "favor" table gambling, while 42.1 percent are set against it. In Hancock County, where the state capital of Wheeling is located, 67 percent of residents are in favor of legalizing gambling, and 26 percent are now against it.
The polling figures were discussed this week during a public forum, in Wheeling, said state Sen. Ed Bowman, D-Hancock, following the forum held Monday evening at West Liberty State College. “I would welcome more of these types of forums,” said the Senator
Bowman was one of the speakers, as was Mountaineer Race Track & Gaming Resort Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ted Arneault, at the college campus.
Members of the school's Students in Free Enterprise organization, a worldwide club that engages in activities that teach others about economics, entrepreneurship and the free enterprise system, sponsored the event.
SIFE Adviser Gary Hypes said table gambling is just one item on the minds of West Virginians, as the November 7 election approaches.
The news of the poll comes as the residents of the state are poised to consider a measure to approve video lottery, but Sen. Bowman said he has supported a local referendum "before video lottery came into the picture."
Gaming executive Arneault said so-called "local-option voting," where county residents can set public policies that differ with those of neighboring counties, has already happened throughout the state.
Secure, Undisclosed Location
The state legislature gave Greenbrier County residents the chance to decide whether they wanted table gambling at the Greenbrier, a resort for residents of Washington D.C., and also said to be one of the "secure, undisclosed locations" that Vice President Cheney repaired to after the 9-11 terrorist attacks.‘‘West Virginia has had eight local-option elections in its history," said Arneault. ‘‘Five of them passed."
Arneault said the Mountaineer race track used an "outside company" to determine statewide West Virginia residents' take on the legalization of table gaming.
West Virginia is soon going to compete with Ohio and Pennsylvania, if the "Issue 3" referendum passes in Ohio on Nov. 7. Citizens there may soon have the right to vote if they want slot machines.
Another gaming resort, the nearby Meadows in Washington County, Pa., is close to providing video gambling at its facility, said Arneault.
Arneault also wanted to "distinguish" the Mountaineer and the other three state racetracks from neighborhood video gambling cafes. Mountaineer is a destination resort. People visit with disposable income and spend it on entertainment, he said.
Tourists are also attracted to the resort’s other activities, and Mountaineer has transformed and expanded its other, recreational activities.
For example, Mountaineer now has the second largest convention center in the state, a hotel, The Harv, a spa, an athletic center, a golf course and a first-class restaurant. Arneault hopes to develop Mountaineer further.
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